Increase of the mechanical response of pure aluminum by grain refinement retained with an alternative rapid sintering route

Abstract

High-frequency induction heating is frequently used to consolidate solid pieces of refractory ceramics. However, this valuable technique has not been deeply evaluated for sample preparation in light metal-based systems as an economical and feasible alternative for rapid sintering routes such as\xa0spark plasma sintering. This work deals with the potential use of induction heating to produce highly densified samples with refined microstructure, enhanced mechanical properties, and lower oxygen contamination. Here we demonstrate that\xa0induction-sintering can increase the\xa0hardness and yield strength\xa0in 70 and 80% respectively, compared to a commercial hardened alloy (AA-1350-H19). Theoretical calculations demonstrate that this behavior can be attributed to two main reinforcement mechanisms: dislocations obstruction and grain refinement. The increased mechanical response can be imputed to the effective sub-micron microstructure retention due to its shorter processing time and lower temperature compared to the conventional sintering process.